5 Steps to Reduce Stress in the Morning

Let me share a story with you: 

It’s 6:30 am. I’m bounding up the stairs from our basement feeling rejuvenated. My 45 minute walk is complete for the day! I’ve already been thinking about how I’m going to cook up a big ol bowl of oatmeal for myself as soon as I’m out of the shower. It’s going to be a great day! My husband’s ready to leave so I kiss him goodbye and grab my towel. 

I take my first steps toward the bathroom when I hear it. Rustling and mumbling coming from my toddler’s room. I look at my watch, it’s 6:35… could she be up already? How is that possible?? I pause and wait to see if I’m just hearing things. But the next mumbling of “Mommy” tells me I’m right. She’s awake. I’m instantly irritated. I barely have enough time to get myself ready this morning! How am I going to get everything done and entertain her at the same time?

After another cry of “Mommy,” I groan and drag my feet to her room. Let the day begin…  

The next hour of the morning is spent rushing around the house. Me trying to hurry my little girl through everything. Her crying because she’s hungry (and quite possibly still tired). Oatmeal is now switched out with cold cereal because it’s fast and easy. Now we’re both crabby as we rush out the door to get to daycare. 

I arrive at work, five after 8, hair half wet, and wondering what the heck just happened to my morning... 

Does this happen to anyone else? I’m hoping I’m not the only working mom out there who struggles to balance it all in the morning. 

My wonderful daughter has inherited my “morning person” gene, I’m afraid, and for the last two weeks has not slept past 6:30 in the morning. In fact, it was 6:20 this morning that she first woke up.

After a few mornings of this, I realized that I had a choice to make: Either I could keep complaining about how our mornings were awful (which would in turn would keep making them awful), or I could accept the fact that my little girl was just going to be awake earlier and I needed to be more patient and thankful to get extra time with her. 

I chose the latter. I’ve made a few changes to my “routine” to make the mornings easier for both of us, and I thought I would share what I’ve learned so far: 

Tip #1: Start earlier. 

I now start my morning routine about 10-15 minutes earlier in the day than I used to. These extra minutes allow for a little less rushing, and most importantly, time for both of us to get a healthy breakfast! It does mean 10 minutes of less sleep, but it still allows me to get my workout in in the morning before the day takes over. 

Tip #2: Prioritize to stay flexible.

There are several things I like to get done each morning. But I’ve learned I just need to let the little things go. If I leave a total mess in the kitchen from breakfast, it’s ok if I don’t get it cleaned up before leaving for work! It will still be there when I get home. Just as long as I don’t leave the house without my coffee. :) 

Tip #3: Lay everything out the night before. 

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, but I will personally testify that laying out my clothes, Makenna’s clothes, and anything else that needs to make it out the door in the morning before I hit the sack, makes for less stress in the AM. 

Tip #4: Realize you can’t control everything! 

Even with all this planning, something’s still bound to go wrong. And even if I’m in a good mood, Makenna could still just be having a crabby morning (Don’t we all?). So I’m learning to just take a deep breath and accept it. 

Tip #5: Start with prayer. 

This is completely a personal choice for me, but I’ve found that if I can start my morning with a few minutes of prayer, I get out of bed with a more positive attitude. It’s nice to get my head clear before starting the rat race of everyday life. 

Well there you have it - Things I’ve just been learning along the way on this road called “Motherhood.” Trust me, not every morning is full of rainbows and unicorns! But I completely believe in the old saying: “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference!”